Music Notes: Holiday music concerts abound

The annual Plymouth High School Holiday Concert, featuring bands, orchestra and choirs, takes place at 3 p.m. Dec. 14 in the PHS auditorium.

In the hallway, at the entrance to the auditorium, there will be places to donate canned or boxed food items for local organizations that support Christmas food baskets for families in need.

There will also be donation jars to help support the Plymouth High Music Department.

All donations will be divided among the band, choir and orchestra and will be used to purchase music for future concerts.

Music students and boosters are hosting a Holiday Cafe' pre-concert dinner.

The menu includes chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, dinner roll, dessert and drinks. Tickets for the Holiday Cafe' dinner are $6.

Tickets for the dinner will be sold on a pre-sale basis and also at the door (on a limited basis).

The Plymouth Community Youth Orchestra will perform during this event.

Dinner will be served from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. with the event closing at 2:45.

To purchase tickets, call Plymouth High School Music Dept. at (574) 936-2178.

Youth Orchestra

The Plymouth Community Youth Orchestra presents a Holiday Concert at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the Lincoln Junior High auditorium.

The group is directed by Gabriele Hill and Candace Thomas with assistance from students Addie Palmer and Cameron Pifer. Admission is free.

Yeazel at MillerÂ?s

Jim Yeazel, pianist and former mayor of Plymouth, will give a holiday program at 2 p.m. Wednesday, December 10, at MillerÂ?s Assisted Living, Plymouth. HeÂ?ll play some Christmas music and familiar tunes. The public is welcome to this free program.

Argos program

The Argos Elementary Christmas music program, featuring grades 2 and 4, takes place at 7 p.m. Monday in the high school auditorium.

The show includes favorite holiday carols, along with a glittering cast of singers and dancers, gorgeous costumes and the Â?highest-kicking chorus line this side of the North Pole.Â?

Main floor or lower balcony tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students. Upper-balcony tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. All seats are reserved.

For information, call (574) 842-7058.

SBSO concert

The South Bend Symphony OrchestraÂ?s Holiday Concert takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend.

It features vocalist Diane Penning and the South Bend High School Festival Choir, composed of members of four local high schools.

Yes, there will be a special appearance by a right jolly old elf. For ticket information, call (800) 537-6415.

Chapter 6

Come back, Chapter 6. We want to hear more.

Encore Performing Arts concluded its 2009 season with the powerhouse Chapter 6, an a capella group of six 30-ish men who use their talented voices not only to sing, but make unbelievable noises that sound like orchestral instruments.

So, in essence, they provided instrumental accompaniment to their own voices Â? from bass to drum brush to cymbal, they produced it.

Audience participation was aplenty. We were invited to sing the prettiest rendition of Â?Happy BirthdayÂ? that I have ever heard (six-part harmony) to band member Luke Menard, who turned 30 that day.

Before the concert, arranger and technical director Mark Grizzard walked around the auditorium and surveyed members of the audience to see what they wanted for Christmas and then incorporated it into an original arrangement of the Â?12 Days of ChristmasÂ? Â? 12 popcorn poppers, 11 I Phones, 10 fashion watches, 9 new kitchens, 8 trips to the Bahamas, 7 new computers, 6 video cameras, 5 elliptical machines, 4 GPSs, 3 IPODS, 2 new wedding rings and a new pair of corduroy slacks.

Each person who wanted that particular item was required to stand every time their item was sung.

Grizzard also played on the piano an abbreviated version of Â?Rhapsody in Blue.Â? Â?We took out all the hard parts,Â? he said. Although the six-part harmony was again glorious, at times it overpowered the piano.

Humor threaded through the evening. The Â?Wizard of OzÂ? tribute was hilarious, except to John Musick (seriously, thatÂ?s his last name), bass, who was cast as the Wicked Witch and took a glass of water in the face when the witch was destroyed. Â?IÂ?m melting,Â? he deadpanned.

This was one of those concerts that makes me so glad I came. I could tell because it felt like cobwebs were being dusted out of my ears.

Prior to Chapter 6, Crimson Connection, the Plymouth High School advanced chorus, directed by Mary Pat Glaub, gave a Holiday concert.

Â?Music NotesÂ? appears Thursdays. If you have music news, contact Mary Jo Finley at (574) 936-7463.